Prebiotics: Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are an amazing, versatile superfood. They are also an excellent source of prebiotics. Prebiotics are natural plant-based materials that make it to the intestines undigested, providing a nutrient source for gut microorganisms to grow and thrive; essentially it's just nutritious microbe food. Prebiotics are absolutely necessary to maintaining gut microbiome health. Here's Cultured Guru's list of the top three reasons why sweet potatoes are a wonderful prebiotic superfood:

1. Vitamins: Sweet potatoes are a rich source of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin B-6, and vitamin C. Vitamin A helps maintain healthy skin, soft tissue and mucus membranes. Vitamin C is essential for proper immune function and the synthesis of collagen. Vitamin B-6 plays an important roles in cell function and metabolism.

2. Dietary Fiber: Dietary fiber is extremely beneficial to gut microbiome health. Dietary fiber is the main food source for the microbes of the gut. Dietary fiber can also improve the absorption of vitamins and minerals in your diet.

3. Minerals: Along with lots of vitamins, sweet potatoes are full of essential minerals. They are packed with potassium, magnesium, and iron. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure and is needed for proper nerve and muscle function. Iron is an essential part of many enzymes and proteins. It is also a part of hemoglobin which distributes oxygen throughout the body. Magnesium is necessary for over 300 biochemical pathways in the body. It helps with nerve and muscle function and supports a healthy immune system. These minerals also help to support the metabolism of probiotic bacteria in the gut.

Our favorite way to fix up some sweet potatoes is definitely this AMAZING sweet potato spiral recipe that is our go to snack!

Directions: Using a veggie spiralizer spiral the sweet potatoes. Spread the sweet potatoes on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper, space out the potato spirals in a thin layer. Drizzle the potatoes VERY lightly with the Avocado Oil then sprinkle the Everything but the Bagel seasoning and a bit oh Himalayan salt. Toss the potato spirals to evenly distribute the seasoning and oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they soft and somewhat crispy.

Easing your stress and anxiety, decreasing inflammation, boosting natural detoxification processes of the body, restoring a healthy gut lining, and strengthening your immune system all help to keep the gut microbiome in a balanced state. Drinking herbal teas is one of the most natural ways to accomplish these things.

Eating fermented vegetables with prebiotic rich foods, and drinking nourishing herbal teas is a great way to keep your gut health in tip-top shape.

The best way to get started on a gut healthy lifestyle is to learn the basics, and that starts with getting your bearings with the vocabulary. There are a bunch of words that fly around on our blog, on our instagram and out in the world in reference to having a healthy gut. Here is our comprehensive glossary that's a great crash course into understanding gut health.

Since Scotty and I live a plant based lifestyle, we eat a lot of sprouted seeds and beans for a source of protein and lots of vitamins. Bean and seed sprouts are a significant source of B Vitamins, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Iron, Folate, and especially fiber. Sprouts are actually one of the best prebiotic foods you can eat because of the fiber that makes it to your gut microbiome.

Providing canned food doesn't mean that those foods have to lack in nourishment. That is why we compiled five easy canned food recipes that can be eaten cold, cooked, served with cooked rice or served solo. These recipes can be made for one person or for lots of people in shelters or those being housed in others' homes. You can also use this as a resource to prepare for periods of time without power in the future.

You've seen us post recipes including animal products only a few times, right? Our products are all vegan, our instagram is pretty much just vegetables and organic tofu... So what are we? Vegetarian, Vegan, Omnivores? Honestly we don't fall into any of these categories... yet.

These little veggies pack a wholesome, nutritious punch and they basically have no calories. They are a perfect prebiotic food! If you for some reason have negative feelings towards Brussels sprouts, give them a second chance using this recipe, we are sure you will love them afterwards!

Oats are such a fantastic source of prebiotic fiber. Both steel cut and rolled oats are wonderful for gut health. Like we've said before, your probiotics won't be happy unless you feed them prebiotics!